Daylight Atheism > Lighting the Way for Equality (Photos)

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Lighting the Way for Equality (Photos)

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2 girl 1 cup

In the meantime, I wanted to post some photos I took at a rally I attended in Union Square last night: Lighting the Way to Equality, a candlelight vigil on behalf of same-sex marriage rights sponsored by Marriage Equality New York. We haven't yet gotten the vote we're pressing for in the New York state senate, but this fight isn't over yet.

8 Comments

I still can't understand why in the 21st Century we have to fight for equal rights for these wonderful people. It's all so terribly sad. But it is inevitable that the light of reason will be victorious.

Comment #1 by: Caiphen | November 10, 2009, 8:53 pm

Extraordinary that we're still voting on people's human rights. If slavery were put up to a vote it would not have been abolished.

Comment #2 by: Adele | November 10, 2009, 9:24 pm

I wonder what percentage of atheists are against same-sex marriage. Almost everyone I've seen opposing it appears to do so for religious reasons, with any other reasons merely tacked on later in an attempt to convince secularists. There's got to be some unbelievers out there who don't want gays to marry simply because they don't like gay people. And I suppose there are even a few non-homophobic atheists who are against it for purely secular reasons. I'm curious what the numbers are.

Comment #3 by: Oro Mezclado | November 11, 2009, 1:42 am

Oro, I'm against marriage altogether. I think the fact you have to be someone's spouse to get on their health insurance is a terrible indictment of America. The idea that if you quit your job not only do you lose your pay, but your health insurance and, worse, your family's health insurance is disgraceful.

Looking at marriage over the ages it has rarely been about love, with spouses rarely meeting in-depth before the wedding night. It has been about family alliances, trading rights, power and childbirth. Love is only recently a common concept (1960's!) in marriage.

If you want to allow someone you love to have legal rights in the event of your inability to choose then sign a living will. If you want to give someone your stuff if you die write a will. If you want to affirm your love for someone in front of your family and friends then do so, but marriage simply invites the state into what should be a private affair.

Having said that, if straight people can do it then gay people should be allowed to too.

Comment #4 by: keddaw | November 11, 2009, 3:18 am

If you live in New York State, and you want to contact your state Senator about this issue, you can find out who he or she is and contact information here: http://www.nysenate.org/

Comment #5 by: MissCherryPi | November 11, 2009, 8:29 am

Keddaw - in my home province of Quebec very few do get married. More common nowadays is to live together without getting married. Not a single one of my cousins is married, but three of them have been in long-term committed relationships. I think it's the same in Scandanavian countries.

And I wholly agree - government shouldn't be getting involved in marriage at all.

Comment #6 by: Adele | November 11, 2009, 9:16 am

I agree with Keddaw, marriage is just an unnecessary label.
Gay people should be considered equals a long time ago, it's only a matter of time.

Comment #7 by: Kendawgg | November 12, 2009, 6:46 pm

The real problem I have with the state getting involved in marriage is that it is using benefits, insurance and taxes to try to socially engineer the family unit. It is telling people how to live, using its financial muscle to further its idea of what a moral way for consenting adults to live is. How is that any different to giving tax breaks to only Christians, or saying families with over 4 kids get a $10,000 bonus?

It is a blatant form of discrimination, against gay people, single people and polyamorous people. What business is it of the state's what my living arrangements or my bedroom arrangements are?

Comment #8 by: keddaw | November 13, 2009, 3:03 am